GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The only power plant supplying electricity to the Gaza Strip was knocked out of commission by Israeli shelling and will need at least a year to repair, deputy director of the energy authority in the Palestinian territory said Tuesday.

"Gaza's sole power plant has stopped working due to Israeli shelling last night, which damaged the steam generator and later hit the fuel tanks which set them on fire," Fathi al-Sheikh Khalil told AFP.

The power authority also said that the damage could take up to a year to fix, meaning that already severe power outages in the besieged coastal enclave could be worsened even further.

As a result of an eight-year Israeli siege on Gaza that limits the supply of fuel into the Strip, power is only allotted in eight-hour stretches, with frequent cuts.

An AFP reporter saw huge fires raging near the plant Tuesday morning, noting that fire department vehicles were still unable to reach the area.

The damage of the power plant exacerbated the heavy damage to civilian infrastructure in Gaza already inflicted during the 22 days of the Israeli offensive aimed at stamping out militant rocket fire and destroying attack tunnels.

Besides the power plant, Gaza also purchases electricity from Israel, but many of the supply lines have been badly damaged by the recent fighting, Sheikh Khalil said.

"Five out of 10 of the Israeli electricity lines into the Gaza Strip were also damaged because of Israeli shelling, and maintenance still cannot reach the areas and fix them," he explained.

Gaza has been forced into dependence on Israeli electricity as a result of the siege, which has crippled domestic production and repair capabilities.

The Hamas’ military wing al-Qassam Brigades and other renegade radical Islamic Jihadist terrorist organisations, the al-Quds Brigades military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees and the al-Nasser Salah al-Din brigades will now need temporary power generators for a couple of years. Allow me to recommend Aggreko's generator rental fleet. Which will provide an efficient and cost effective refrigeration and power generation. Qatar will fund the generators, they have funded terrorism in Gaza.

3 ) Al Gore / USA

29/07/2014 17:41

It is good for scaling down greenhouse effect. It would also help to minimize palestinian's carbon footprint. I consider it as a palestinian contribution to the fight against global warming.

4 ) Arnold / Canada

29/07/2014 17:58

Cutting electricity to Gaza means the tunnels will need to use generators. Generators will emit carbon monoxide. Tough going through tunnels filled with carbon monoxide.

5 ) Rondo Mondo / Canada

29/07/2014 18:10

A year? I am not surprised with all of Gaza's engineers working on rockets there is no one to repair the Power Plant, just like there has been no to build out the electrical grid and relays required for the Power plant to produce the amount of electricity for which it was designed since 2002. It is funny how Palestinians never take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences thereof.

6 ) Susan Eversleigh-Pirbright / UK

29/07/2014 18:22

Are Hamas distributing their stocks of buried food, water, blankets, fuel and medical aid that they have stored, along the rockets and missiles?

7 ) JoeFattal / USA

29/07/2014 19:09

What the power station has to do with the Rockets. Gaza power was out 6 month out of the year anyhow with their shortage of fuel. Even the radio station was not working at the time. That reminds with their war with Hezbollah. When Israel had a problem try to stop the rockets from Hezbollah they enter southern Lebanon and had few casualties, so in frustration they turn their airforce on Beirut. They did hit a Radio Station, and an electric plant. Same thing we saw then we see now.

8 ) ALL THE TUNNEL DIGGERS CAN / WORK IN

29/07/2014 19:13

construction of gaza for a few years.
NO UNEMPLOYMENT IN GAZA

9 ) David / USA

29/07/2014 19:55

Be honest when reporting. It's not 'militant rocket fire,' it's 'Hamas (the elected government) rocket fire.'
Had the Hamas officials deemed it more important to safeguard Gaza citizens and property than to try and harm Israel with massive rocket barrages and terrorist infiltrations via tunnels and by sea, then the power plant AND EVERYTHING ELSE IN GAZA would be intact.
The Hamas leadership should be arrested for war crimes. The Hamas members SHOULD GROW UP and act like men, not morons.

10 ) Outlier / USA

30/07/2014 04:59

All those smart rocket "engineers" should have no problem fixing a power plant, except for their inability to the components and copper wire to do so.

11 ) Tobias / USA

30/07/2014 15:23

GAZA CHOSE WAR Instead of Peace, and the Oslo Accord Is Dead too, so [1] Israel has No Obligation to Gaza, and [2] It Should Stop Supplying Both Electricity and Water to Gaza, until Gaza makes a different choice !!

12 ) Mel / USA

30/07/2014 21:21

I think letting all these pro-Zionist Nazi trolls speak for themselves is a"good"thing?They name & shame the whole "Jewish"State & global Jews,so perfectly by claiming that Israel is the CORE of global Jewry,as would any narcissitic idiot.If anyone can bring Zionist-led Israel DOWN,DOWN,DOWN,alone,it's PRO-Zionist Judeo-Nazi's.Keep trolling guys,you're building a wonderful ABYSS between Israel &the WORLD that U won't be able to CROSS later,or even be welcomed,on the"all others"side.Good job

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